Mark's Return
by Starlight125
Summary: Mark left home. Now after almost 10 years will his family be able to accept the man he has become? Please R&R Note Ratings change
1. Dinner

Authors' Note: I don't own Home Improvement, or Mark, Randy, Brad, Tim, Jill, or Lauren, or any of the other characters I decide to use in later stories. I do own Mira, Jessica, Connor, Carver, Ariana, Kyle, Ellie, and Mark and Mira's child to be named later. Post if you want just please email me first. That seems to be it. Except please enjoy and review. Thanks!  
  
Dinner was over.  
  
Dinner was over and he knew she was going to ask.  
  
She was going to ask the question he dreaded answering.  
  
She knew she shouldn't.  
  
She knew that he had had a falling out with his parents and his brothers.  
  
She knew that his parents hadn't wanted him to come to California.  
  
She knew that they had wanted him to stay in Michigan and go to school.  
  
She knew that that was never what he wanted.  
  
She knew that he refused to speak of them or any other family other then hers and their own.  
  
She knew that she wanted their children to have two sets of grandparents and that it was now or never.  
  
"Mark?" she asked carefully.  
  
"Yes, Mira," he answered.  
  
"I think that I need to meet your parents. I mean we have been married for three years and I am about to have your baby, I want our child to have two sets of grandparents. I want to know your family and where you come from the same way you know mine. Mark, baby, it's time that you speak to them again."  
  
"I know, and your right, it has been almost ten years, it's time they know where their son is." 


	2. Missing Mark

Tim Taylor sat in the living room of the Detroit home he and his wife raised their children in. He sat staring at the pictures two of his sons sent recently.  
  
Bradley, his oldest was living in New York City now. He was a retired soccer player and now he was an investment agent on Wall Street and coached a youth team. He married a girl named Jessica he had met in college. They were married when they were 25 and they had three beautiful children, Connor James, was 8 now, and the spitting image of his father, blond haired and blue eyed, and a soccer fiend. Then there was Carver Nicholas, 5 years old and wanting to be just like his dad and big brother he was also fair featured. Finally Brad's pride and joy, not that he didn't love his sons, but his daughter, Ariana Colleen, who was 2 was just his little princess, she had long dirty blond hair and big blue eyes, and was everything her brothers weren't, all pink, dresses, dolls, and lace. The perfect final piece to Brad's family.  
  
Randy had also sent pictures that had arrived that day. Randy was living outside Washington, D.C. as a reporter with his wife, and high school sweetheart, Lauren, and their 2 children. His oldest, Kyle David, was 7 and loved everything about the city they lived in. He loved the National Zoo, the monuments, the history, and the cultures. He even got to meet the President when his dad took him to work one day. Kyle was the perfect blend of Randy and Lauren, his hair and her eyes a truly beautiful child. Randy and Lauren's daughter was just as neat. Eleanor Lillian Taylor was 4 years old and already more then a handful then her brother. Ellie was the one who one day when at the White House managed to run into the Oval Office and fall asleep, which was also the reason her parents and the president and first gentleman became friends. She was also a blend of her parents only with Lauren's hair and Randy's eyes. Another perfect family.  
  
But Tim felt like he was missing something and he was. His other son, Mark, had sent no pictures, no letters, and no word of anything since he had left 9 years before. Just then the door opened and Jill, Tim's wife of nearly 40 years came in to the house after a day at work.  
  
"What do you have there?" she asked carefully.  
  
"Brad and Randy sent pictures, the kids are growing up so fast." Tim said fondly.  
  
"Yeah, anything today?" she said repeating their ritual of the past 9 years.  
  
"Nope, hopefully soon though."  
  
Just then the phone rang. 


	3. Speaking Again

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update, there was a family emergency. Thank you for the reviews, I hope you like this part enough to review too!  
  
  
  
  
  
Mark sat in his study, in his house in California. Waiting for the phone to be picked up.  
  
"Ring"  
  
"One," he said slowly, giving his parents a 3 ring ultimatum.  
  
"Ring"  
  
Tim sat with his hand placed nervously over the receiver, "Please God," he whispered, "Let it be Mark."  
  
"Ring"  
  
"That's…Hello?"  
  
"Hello. Mark?"  
  
"Dad? Dad! It's so good to hear your voice"  
  
"It's good to hear yours too! Is it really you?"  
  
"Yeah, it is."  
  
"So what's going on in your life?"  
  
"Mark?" Mira called as she waddled in.  
  
"Who's that?" Tim asked cautiously, not knowing what to expect.  
  
"My wife."  
  
"Your wife," Tim breathed as Jill finally let the tears that she had been holding in go. "What's her name?"  
  
"Mirabelle Elizabeth Colleen Parks-Taylor, but I just call her Mira"  
  
"Mira, Wow! Do I have any more grandchildren?  
  
"Not yet, but there are two on their way"  
  
"How much longer do we have to wait?"  
  
"They're do in five days"  
  
"Five days, do you want to talk to your mother? She's right here."  
  
"Of course"  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Mom?"  
  
"Mark! My baby!"  
  
"Hi mom!"  
  
"Your dad said your married and you have twins on the way?"  
  
"Yeah they're due in 5 days"  
  
"Honey it is great to hear from you."  
  
"You too."  
  
"Mark! Mark!" Mira hissed after sitting there for nearly 5 minutes.  
  
"Hold on Mom," Mark said in to the phone, "Mira what is it"  
  
"These babies are due in five days but their arrival is going to be sooner"  
  
"Oh my God! Mom I have to go, Mira's in labor!"  
  
"Go go! Call us when you have the news"  
  
"I will! I will! Bye I love you both"  
  
"We love you too" 


	4. Babies and Brad

Author's Note: I have the strangest feeling this doesn't have an accurate time line, so here it is.  
  
Chapter Place Time/Date  
  
|Chapter 1 |LA Restaurant |May 12th | |Chapter 2 |Taylor |May 15th | | |House(Detroit)| | |Chapter 3 |Taylor Homes |May 15th | | |(LA and |9pm-ish | | |Detroit) |(Imagine the | | | |call lasts for | | | |about an hour | | | |and the story | | | |is just the | | | |highlights) | |Chapter 4 |Hospital, and |May 16th and | | |Airport |May 31st |  
  
  
  
  
  
About three hours later the Taylor's got another phone call.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
"Mark?"  
  
"You have two new grandchildren."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yup, Morgan Timmothy Bradley and Kenedey Leslie Michelle, Morgan is 7 pound 4 ounces, 20 inches long, and Kenedey is 6 pound even and 18 inches long."  
  
"I bet they're beautiful."  
  
"They are"  
  
  
  
Two days later in the Hospital Room:  
  
"More Flowers?"  
  
"Yeah, they're from the studio"  
  
"Not surprising"  
  
"Mark?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Why don't we invite your family down for a week or two? You know let myself and our beautiful children meet them."  
  
" Sounds good I'll make the arrangements."  
  
  
  
And two weeks later Mark, Mira and family were at the airport.  
  
"Okay, Brad's first, gate 63 at 12:05. Then Randy at gate 79 at 12:55. Finally my parents at 209 at 1:45."  
  
" Okay lets get over to 63 before the crowd hits."  
  
"Yeah"  
  
As they arrived, people were already streaming off the plane.  
  
"Damn, who's ever heard of a plane being early?" Mark commented  
  
"No one in LA that's for sure" Mira retorted.  
  
"Wait there he is! Brad! Brad!" Mark shouted as Brad's tall figure came out of the door way, carrying a little girl.  
  
"Mark!" Brad called as quietly as he could to be heard "Hey! How have you been?"  
  
"Really tired in the past two weeks" Mark said as Brad put Ariana down and wrapped him up in a hug.  
  
"I can only imagine," a female voice from behind Brad said, "I'm Jessica, Brad's wife and mom to these three."  
  
"I'm Mark, and this is my wife Mira, and this is Morgan, and this is Kenedey."  
  
"They're beautiful"  
  
"Thank you" Mira said, "We have just enough time to get your bags and get to pick up Randy"  
  
"Awesome, let's roll!" 


	5. Great

As Mark and Brad went to the baggage claim Jessica and Mira went and sat in the molded plastic chairs in front of the gate where Randy would be getting off.  
  
"So how long have you and Brad been married?" Mira asked while taking in her sister-in-law, niece and nephews.  
  
"Nine years this August," Jessica replied with a soft smile as she covered her sleeping 2 year old with a coat in the chair where Brad had set her, "I was wondering are you M. Colleen Parks from.?"  
  
". Kara's World and ER? Yeah that's me," Mira said with a blushing smile.  
  
"I love that show, I thought I recognized you when we got off the plane."  
  
"Yeah, I thought I saw recognition in your eyes when I was standing there."  
  
"So how long have you and Mark been married?"  
  
"Five years," Mira said as the PA system clicked on.  
  
"Flight 153 from Regan National Airport is now arriving."  
  
"That's Randy's flight," Jessica said standing up and looking around, "And of course our husbands are no where to be found."  
  
"AUNT JESSIE!!!!" a little voice called as a blur of golden brown hair and baby blue runs to Jessica and hugs her knees.  
  
"Hello Ellie how are you?" Jessica says picking her up as Randy runs to catch up with his daughter.  
  
"Thank God it was actually you," Randy said remembering the last time Ellie did that and it ended up being a very kind stranger.  
  
"Ellie how was the flight?"  
  
"Long but okay," the very articulate four-year-old said as she looked at Mira who was watching the scene with a mix of worry and excitement in her eyes, "Are you my aunt Mira?"  
  
"Yes I am, you must be Ellie."  
  
"Yes I am, that's my brother Kyle and my mother Lauren and my daddy Randy."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
At that moment Brad and Mark returned with the bags. Lauren and Marks eyes locked and there was energy between them that no one could deny.  
  
"Randy!" Mark said snapping from the trance he had been in, "How are you?"  
  
"Good how are you?" he answered putting a protective arm around his wife.  
  
"Great," he responded, watching Lauren, "Simply great." 


	6. The Reason

It had been almost ten years since that fateful night and Mark could see that Lauren was thinking about it too. It was pouring rain and Mark was home alone, Jill was retrieving Randy from school in Boston, Brad was off at school in Ann Arbor, and his dad was on a business trip for a location shot of a Tool Time special. As he was sitting in front of the TV basking in the manliness of himself, the door bell rang. He sighed and got up to get it. He finally got to the door revealing Lauren, Randy's girlfriend, completely soaking wet.  
  
"Lauren," Mark said astonished that she was there. "Come in before you get even more wet." "Thanks Mark is Randy here?" She asked stepping inside. "No, didn't he tell you? He had to stay at school an extra week he won't be back until tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" "Yeah, it's only me here." "Okay," she said, "Sorry to bother you." With that she turned towards the door to leave. "Lauren," Mark said gently grabbing her arm, "Randy would kill me if I let you out of this house like that. I'll go grab you some sweats and we can put your stuff in the dryer." "Okay, thanks," she said shrugging off her jean jacket. "I'll be right back," Mark said before disappearing up the stairs.  
  
After a moment he returned with a pair of flannel pj pants a tank top, a tee shirt, and a sweatshirt. Lauren looked at the assortment and laughed.  
  
"I didn't know what...yeah," Mark said blushing when he realized what he was seeing. Lauren had taken off the jean jacket she had been wearing and was now in a very wet pink tee shirt that was now nearly see through. "I'm going to use the bathroom, okay?" "Yeah sure you know where it is." "'Kay."  
  
Mark went back to the family room and sat back down on the couch after a moment he heard the bathroom door open and foot steps toward him. "Hey Mark? Can we get these in the dryer?" "Uh yeah sure," he said jumping up and taking her clothes from her, as he led her to the garage. He threw them in the dryer and then he turned around to look at her. "Good?" "Good," Lauren said as she turned to exit the garage, with that she planted her foot in a soap slick and started falling backwards. Mark let her fall into his arms he then picked her up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and he carries her over the puddle. He looked in to her eyes and said in a husky voice, "I have to remind Dad to fix that leak." "Yeah you never know what could have happened," she said leaning closer to his face, with that their mouths met. Mark began walking into the house. He carried Lauren over to the couch and sat her down letting their lips part for a moment as he sat next to her. Her hand touched his face and brought their lips together again. This time she gently guided him so that he was on top of her hovering and kissing her face and neck. She sat up and shrugged out of the zip front sweat shirt he had given her. He leaned in to her again and kissed her as her hands began to wander up the shirt he was wearing, after a moment he pulled away and pulled it off revealing the muscular abs, chest and arms he had been hiding. She let her eyes travel over his body and then their lips met again. At that point he pulled her so she was above him and as they kissed his hands went to her waist and snaked under the two shirts he had given her. Their eyes met and with an unspoken communication she pulled the shirts off over her head. And there they were, both topless and staring into each others eyes, she straddling his waist. Mark gently sat up and kissed her chest and she smiled before tilting his head up toward hers and kissing him gently. With that he kissed her with more passion and her purse, which until that moment had been sitting demurely on the coffee table, was kicked over by Mark in yet another readjustment movement. She smiled at him and leaned in to kiss him again and with that her hands slipped down his body to his pants top, he looked at her with curiosity and she quickly yanked them off his legs revealing him naked underneath. With that she leaned back in to the mess that was once in her purse and grabbed a condom and opened it, he smirked at her as she put it on him and with that she stopped and smirked back at him. "I don't think so," he said mischievously, and with that Lauren lost her pants revealing nothing underneath. He smiled and leaned in and kissed her before revealing something to her. In a low soft whisper with wide doe eyes Mark said, "Lauren, I've never..." She smiled and touched his face gently, "It's okay, I'll teach you." And with that the night was spent with Lauren teaching Mark the ways into the adult world.  
  
The next morning found them curled up on the couch with a very well placed blanket over them. Lauren had her legs together over his lap with her head resting on his shoulder and Mark's arms were around her waist. He woke up and squinted out the window into the sunny day. He looked down at the beautiful blonde laying with him and he smiled for a moment before reality set in.  
"Oh shit!" Mark said panicking. "Lauren wake-up!" Lauren gently stirred from her slumber and smiled at Mark before the reality of last night set in around them. She looked at him with terror in her eyes. She leaned over and hurriedly grabbed their clothes and they replaced them all and as the words, "We need to talk about this," slipped from her lips the front door opened revealing Randy and Jill.  
"Lauren what are you doing here and in Mark's clothes?" Randy asked. Mark and Lauren both blushed, before Mark answered. "Last night she came here to see you, Randy, and when she got here she was soaking wet from this downpour, so I got her something to wear and we put her clothes in the dryer and we must have fallen asleep because when we woke up we lying on the couch together."  
"Really?" Randy said as he walked over and put he wrapped Lauren in a hug and kissed her.  
"Yeah," Lauren said with a look of thanks directed toward Mark, "that's it."  
"I bet your clothes are dry now," Jill said knowing that there was something else that Mark and Lauren weren't saying, "I'll get them and then Mark why don't you drive Lauren home so Randy can unpack?"  
"Okay," Mark said.  
  
Three weeks later the Taylors were having a party celebrating Memorial Day. Brad was home and had brought a pretty young girl named Jessica with him. Lauren and Randy were sitting in the gazebo when Mark passed by and went into the house.  
"I need to use the restroom," Lauren said kissing Randy on the cheek as she got up. She followed Mark inside and then called his name.  
"Mark!" she said, as she followed him upstairs.  
"What is it Lauren?" he said as he let her into his bedroom.  
"I'm late."  
"What?"  
"My period is late," she said explaining it to him.  
"Why aren't you telling Randy this?"  
"Because Randy and I haven't been intimate since before my last period."  
"Shit, but we used." "Nothing is one hundred percent Mark" "Okay then, what are our options?"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Lauren if what you think is going on is going on then we need to discuss what is happening we need to make a plan." She smiled at him. "What?"  
"You're being a lot more responsible than Randy was."  
"This has happened with him too?"  
"No not really, it was more of a counting error that time."  
"Okay then, umm, I guess we need to get you a test?"  
"Yeah, I'll do that tomorrow and call you with the news."  
"Okay great."  
  
Needless to say Mark didn't get much sleep that night, he waited around the house all day watching the phone and always keeping it within reach. Finally at nearly two in the afternoon the phone rang.  
"Mark?" Lauren said hoping she wouldn't have to go through any of the other Taylors to get to him.  
"Yeah?"  
"Meet me at the drug store in 5 minutes."  
"Okay" Mark bounded out of his room and down the stairs. "I need to go to the drug store I'll be right back," he said as he grabbed his keys from their hook.  
Five minutes later he was in the drugstore parking lot. He found Lauren in her car, she told him to follow her. He followed her to a diner about 10 miles away. They got out of their cars and walked inside, and took a table.  
"So?" Mark said after they ordered their food.  
"I'm not yet."  
"Yet?"  
"I need to wait 3 more days before we know for sure."  
"Okay," Mark said staring at the table, he looked into her eyes. "Lauren we need a plan for if you are."  
"Yeah," she whispered.  
"Do you and Randy have a plan?"  
"We always said we'd have a quickie wedding and then wait until the baby was born to have a real one."  
"I don't think."  
"Neither do I, I. I don't want to hurt him Mark."  
"Neither do I, but if you are pregnant we are going to have to tell him about the other night."  
"I know but if I'm not then let's not he's already worried that I won't be faithful to him on campus I don't want him to think it will happen in his own home again."  
"Yeah"  
"How about we meet here in three days?"  
"Okay," he said as their food arrived. They ate the rest of the time in silence.  
  
Three days later Mark pulled into the same parking lot. This time Lauren wasn't there yet. He grabbed the flowers he had brought with him and both cards. One read 'We'll get through this together' the other 'Congratulations on NOT being a mom.' He took the table they had been at the other day. He sat there and ordered drinks for himself and Lauren. She came breezing in to the restaurant and sat down across from him.  
"So?" he asked. Lauren looked at her watch as their drinks arrived.  
"Three more minutes," she said trying not to let her eyes spill over again. Mark put his hand on hers and looked her in the eyes. She started crying and he came around and sat next to her. He pulled her into a hug, kissed her temple and looked out the window, "I promise this will all turn out okay, I promise, I promise."  
After a moment her watch beeped, Mark smiled and let her pull away and dive into her purse.  
"Negative, it's negative," she said smiling and letting him peer over her shoulder and at the pregnancy test.  
"Thank God," Mark said, "Oh I have something for you!"  
"What?" Lauren asked as he added the final touch of the card.  
"Here," he said handing her the pink Gerber daisies.  
"Mark they're beautiful, thank you."  
"Read the card," Mark requested. 


End file.
